We're working on our 40 ft x 30 ft backyard this year. Don't have any 'after' pics to post yet, but after hours of talking and pricing we decided on creating four zones. Each area was given roughly one corner of the space, but the edges of the hardscape areas are rounded and soft, not angular. Paths between the 'zones' are large flat grey stones.
Bar-b-q / round umbrella table & chairs. We're using flat, reclaimed brick. Fortunately our yard, like yours, is flat. We rented a sod cutter for one day from 'Home Depot' ($100) to cut-out this area and the fire pit area. Covered and packed sand and used a layer of gravel.
Fire bowl & lounge chairs. We laid, large, flat grey stones for a 12' diameter flat stone circle. Two skids of rocks (total $1,000) did the fire pit area, pathways between the 'zones' and a pathway from the curb to the door (just to unify the spaces). We purchased a round iron fire bowl to place in the center. For this year, we're using our six coloured vinyl adirondack chairs. Hope to purchase new chairs next year.
The shady corner is for the hammock. We don't have the ideal trees for accommodating a hammock. We bought 2 - 4" x 4" posts, dug holes, leveled the posts, and filled the hole with quick crete. Then we added some wood molding on the posts (for visual interest), and stained them to coordinate with the fence.
4. The fourth corner is raised boxes for vegetables. We cut away the sod for 4 ft x 6 ft boxes, laid down landscaping fabric, and built the boxes with 2" x 6" cedar boards. We were able to procure some great growing soil from a farmer.
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Flowers:
* We're using all perennials.
* Hostas, ferns, rhodedenrum, and hydrangea in part sun to full shade.
* Lemon grasses (which have grown 4 ft high in one season) and 'mosquito plants' on the parameters of the fire area to repel mosquitos in the evening.
* In a sunny area, we have day lilies, daisies and clematis.
* For this first year of vegetables, we've done the easiest plants: tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, and oregano. We bought established plants at 'Home Depot'. We did not start the plants from seed.
* We planted clematis to grow up the hammock poles. Not working so well. LOL !
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For hardscape, I think your idea to use poured, coloured concrete sounds great. Just do your 'homework' to compare (1.) price per sq. ft. for ground prep, materials and installation [if you're not DIY-ing]; (2.) maintenance; (3.) longevity; (4.) affect (i.e. slippery / hazard) in rain and snow.
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Here are the 'Houzz' pictures that have provided our general inspiration:
Vegetable Boxes:
Hammock (only hung from posts):
We're using reclaimed flat red bricks for the bar-b-q with table and chairs:
Our fire area is flat grey stones in a 12 ft diameter circle, a purchased fire bowl, and we're using our current lounge chairs.
We like the look of 'zones' and connecting them with dry stones that are fully immersed in the ground so that we can mow over these areas:
Hope some of these thoughts are helpful to you. Highly recommend that you find some inspiration photos; draw your space to scale on graph paper; check and double check your budget (and labor if hiring-out the work); and do not try to do it all in one year ;-) Have learned that the hard way.
Best of luck!!
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